I bought a Tikka T3 Lite .270 caliber months ago and mated it to a Nikon Prostaff 4-12X40 BDC scope using the stock rings that came with the rifle. I used locktite to set the screw so it wouldn't move. Unfortuntely, the rings didn't hold the scope and scope crept forward  with each shot. I read a bunch of postings about how terrible the stock rings were so I bought Warne steel scope rings and remounted the scope using the Warne rings. I took it to the range this p.m. and experience the same problem with the scope creeping forward. I can there's scope creep because I can see the the markings left on the scope by the rings. Does anyone have advise on what I should do to stop the scope from sliding forward (or conversely, the rings from sliding back)? Perhaps I really do need to torque it to spec. to rule that issue out.

Hold shift while aiming down the sight.

Sorry I don't actually know the answer to your question O_o.

There should be some tape on the inside of the scope rings. Top and Bottom.  The best tape to use is 1/2 or 3/8" wide first aid tape one side is sticky and the other side looks like fine gauze.  or if you can find thin cloth tape.  Electrical tape will melt and move. Posting a picture would also help.

Many people swear by lapping the rings before use.  They say the finish on a factory ring is too slick for a proper hold.  Brownells sells scope lapping kits pretty affordably.

On my remington 700 with leupold rings I ended up using pieces of an aluminum soda can as a shim to both take up space between the rings and scope and also to level the scope in the rings.  It's held for about 2 years so far.  About 5 interisland trips and a bunch of trips to koko head.

righty tighty lefty loosey

just kidding.  hmm.... I've never had that problem.  I've never used a torque driver to tighten my rings, I just tightened them till it "felt right".  I'd probably just tighten the rings more and see what happens. 

I think I'll try tightening them just a little bit more. Also thinking of putting a bead of hot glue around the joint where the scope tube meets the backside of each ring to prevent forward movement of each scope. The glue can be removed if necessary without messing with the surface of the scope.

righty tighty lefty loosey

just kidding.  hmm.... I've never had that problem.  I've never used a torque driver to tighten my rings, I just tightened them till it "felt right".  I'd probably just tighten the rings more and see what happens. 

That may void your waranty if over tq'ing your rings, IOR for example specifically states no greater than 20 in lbs or else you void the warranty on your optics tube.

righty tighty lefty loosey

just kidding.  hmm.... I've never had that problem.  I've never used a torque driver to tighten my rings, I just tightened them till it "felt right".  I'd probably just tighten the rings more and see what happens.

I've had this issue with a claw mount on my rifle.  The mount was refinished and a bit slick.  I just tightened up the rings. 

The issue is over torquing the rings can screw up the body if you're not careful.

I'm not sure how tight rings have to be to start messing with the scope, but I've tightened my rings pretty damn tight and have yet to see any problems.  Now that I've said that........I'm sure my next scope will get jacked!

 

Quote from: Pit808 on December 16, 2011, 10:08:40 PM

righty tighty lefty loosey

just kidding.  hmm.... I've never had that problem.  I've never used a torque driver to tighten my rings, I just tightened them till it "felt right".  I'd probably just tighten the rings more and see what happens.

I've had this issue with a claw mount on my rifle.  The mount was refinished and a bit slick.  I just tightened up the rings. 

The issue is over torquing the rings can screw up the body if you're not careful.

Just make sure you torque them evenly. I shoot 7MM STW and the recoil is anything but soft. If you need shims, but some, don't use pieces of soda cans or any other crap you find. They are easy to come by and in some cases may be necessary to get the right line of sight.  Tape works, but get the right torque down and you should be good once you set it. If you have issues with screws backing out, use blue loctite (just a drop).

Hold shift while aiming down the sight.

HAAAh ha haaaa!!!

Someone was bound to say it....

And I always tightened my rings in a criss cross pattern.  Like lug nuts.

Hold shift while aiming down the sight.

Sorry I don't actually know the answer to your question O_o.

Me thinks someone's rings are a tad bit too tight. 

I bit the bullet and purchased the Warne Torque Wrench this past weekend for $25. The wrench is preset for 25 in-lb of torque. Last night I decided to remove and remount the scope using the the Wrench. To find out how off i was by tightening the rings by hand, I decided to torque the screws using the Warne wrench before removing the scope and thought that with the locktite previously applied, chances are that even if I under-torqued the screws when I mounted the scope, the screws would probably come out close to or over the recommended 25 in-lb of torque for these rings. Turns out that all of the screws were under torqued by a significant margin. I then removed the screws, wire brushed them to remove the hardened locktite and remounted everything using the Warne wrench.

I won't be able to confirm that torque (or the lack thereof) was the problem until I get out to the range this weekend but am willing to bet that it is. Will report back later this week with my findings.

I bit the bullet and purchased the Warne Torque Wrench this past weekend for $25. The wrench is preset for 25 in-lb of torque. Last night I decided to remove and remount the scope using the the Wrench. To find out how off i was by tightening the rings by hand, I decided to torque the screws using the Warne wrench before removing he scope and thought that with the locktite previously applied, chances are that even if I under-torqued the screws when I mounted the scope, the screws would probably come out close to or over the recommended 25 in-lb of torque for these rings. Turns out that all of the screws were under torqued by a significant margin. I then removed the screws, wire brushed them to remove the hardened locktite and remounted everything using the Warne wrench.

I won't be able to confirm that torque (or the lack thereof) was the problem until I get out to the range this weekend but am willing to bet that it is. Will report back later this week with my findings.

I think very highly of the Warne rings. I use them on my rifles and have never had an issue. Of course I always get out my Fat Wrench and torque those suckas down to the recommended torque. Always use the blue locktite and wait 24 hours to let it dry completely. I don't think you'll see the scope move again.

Yep. Did what you recommended and took the bangstick out for romp this past weekend. Scope didn't move at all through 20 rounds. "Eye-balling" the torque just doesn't cut it. With the torque wrench you can cinch down the rings without fear of distorting the tube. Thanks for everyone's input.

This may be a little late, but I just had a gunsmith install a scope for me on a NIB Remington 700.  I mounted the scope myself and used loctite and gorilla-tightened the screws.  Everything looked fine until I tried to turn the variable power adjustment and it wouldn't budge unless I used a channel-loc!  I loosened the rear ring screws and the power ring moved okay but the ring was too loose so I figured I needed shims.

Long story short, I ended up having a professional install it.  The alignment was very slightly off so he lapped the rings and took off all of the loctite on the ring screws.  He hates loctite and says its not necessary, in fact it creates more problems in his opinion.  Anyway, after lapping he remounted the scope and just made the rings finger-tip tight with the torx driver.  I then tried to twist or move the scope and it wouldn't budge at all!  Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself.  Lapping the rings creates much more surface bearing area for the rings and really locks the scope in place.  Another advantage is that if the rings are lapped they won't leave rub marks on the scope body.  He's probably mounted hundreds of scopes and hasn't had any problems.

He matched the ring halves, lined up the reticle and bore sighted it.  The crosshairs were only an inch or so off center.  I'll be zeroing it next week (hopefully!).  Had I shot the rifle without fixing the scope problem (I was tempted!) I probably would have ruined a good Leupold.

I guess if you are going to be mounting a lot of scopes, the alignment jigs, lapping device and bore sighter will pay for itself soon enough.  Me?  I'll have my gunsmith mount my scopes from now on--some things are worth the money, in my opinion.

Watch it when using any goo (loctite, anti-seize, anything) when torquing.  The goo acts as a lubricant and the stress on the fastener will be significantly different between dry and not-dry with the same torque value.